Lumber Processing Services

De-Nailing & Metal Removal

Every reclaimed board begins its journey through our facility at the de-nailing station. This is the most labor-intensive step in the entire processing pipeline, but also the most critical. Embedded metal left in reclaimed lumber will destroy planer blades, bandsaw teeth, and moulder knives — damaging expensive equipment and creating safety hazards. Our de-nailing process ensures that every fastener is removed before any machining begins.

Our team uses a combination of manual hand tools, pneumatic nail pullers, and pry bars to extract nails, screws, staples, lag bolts, and embedded hardware from each board. Experienced operators can feel hidden metal through changes in the wood grain pattern and surface irregularities. For nails that have been clipped or broken below the surface — a common problem with old cut nails — we use specialized extraction techniques that remove the fastener without unnecessarily damaging the surrounding wood fiber.

After manual de-nailing, every board passes through our industrial conveyor-fed metal detector. This scanner detects both ferrous (iron, steel) and non-ferrous (copper, aluminum, brass) metals down to 1/16 inch in diameter. Any board that triggers the detector is pulled off the line and returned to the de-nailing station for secondary extraction. Only boards that pass the metal detector with a clean scan continue to the next processing stage.

Planing & Surfacing

Planing is where the transformation happens. Beneath the gray, weathered exterior of a reclaimed board lies the original wood — often century-old old-growth timber with tight grain, rich color, and character that no newly milled lumber can match. Our industrial wide-belt planer removes the weathered outer layer to reveal that beautiful original grain underneath while bringing the board to a consistent, predictable thickness.

Our planer handles boards up to 36 inches wide with variable speed control that adjusts feed rate based on species density and grain direction. We achieve surfacing tolerances of 1/64 inch across the full width of the board — tight enough for furniture-grade applications. The planer uses carbide-tipped helical cutterheads that produce a smoother finish with less tear-out than traditional straight-knife cutterheads, which is especially important with the interlocked and irregular grain patterns common in reclaimed hardwoods.

We offer multiple surfacing configurations: S1S (surfaced one side) for material that will be fastened with one face hidden, S2S (surfaced two sides) for consistent thickness with both faces smooth, and S4S (surfaced four sides) for fully finished material ready for fine woodworking. Custom thickness is available down to 1/4 inch. We can also skip-plane, which lightly surfaces the board to remove dirt and grime while preserving most of the original weathered character — a popular option for accent wall and ceiling applications.

Kiln Drying

Moisture content is one of the most critical factors in lumber performance. Wood that is too wet will shrink, warp, cup, and crack as it dries in place. For interior applications — flooring, paneling, furniture, cabinetry — lumber must be dried to 6-8% moisture content to match the equilibrium moisture content of heated indoor environments. Our commercial kiln achieves this level consistently across the full load.

Our kiln is a dehumidification system with a 5,000 board-foot capacity per cycle. Unlike conventional steam kilns that can dry too aggressively and cause checking (surface cracks), our dehumidification system removes moisture gradually and evenly. We monitor temperature, relative humidity, and wood moisture content continuously throughout the drying cycle using digital sensors placed at multiple points in the load. This data-driven approach ensures consistent results regardless of species, thickness, or starting moisture level.

Kiln drying also serves a critical sanitation function. The sustained heat (typically 130-160 degrees F) kills insects, larvae, mold spores, and bacteria that may be present in reclaimed lumber. This is especially important for material destined for residential interiors and food- service environments. After kiln drying, your material arrives clean, stable, and biologically inert.

Our moisture testing protocol includes pre-kiln readings (pin meter at multiple points per board), in-kiln monitoring (continuous sensor readings logged hourly), and post-kiln verification (pinless meter scan of every board before release). Boards that do not meet the target moisture range are returned to the kiln for additional drying. We include a moisture content certification with every kiln-dried order.

Resawing

Resawing is the process of splitting thick timber or heavy boards into thinner pieces using a bandsaw. This is one of the most valuable processing steps for reclaimed lumber because it maximizes yield from expensive or rare material. A single 4x12 reclaimed beam can be resawn into eight or more thin boards for siding, paneling, or thin-profile architectural applications — dramatically increasing the usable surface area from one piece of timber.

Our bandsaw resaw features a 42-inch wheel with a 24-inch maximum depth of cut. We use carbide-tipped blades specifically designed for reclaimed wood, which maintain their edge even when encountering the occasional piece of metal that may have survived the de-nailing and metal detection process. The large wheel diameter produces minimal blade deflection, resulting in clean, consistent cuts with minimal waste kerf.

We can resaw down to 3/8 inch thickness with clean, parallel faces. For material thinner than 3/8 inch, we recommend planing after resawing to achieve the final target thickness. Resawing is particularly popular for creating barn board siding from thick timbers, producing bookmatched panels from wide boards, and generating thin stock for wainscoting, picture frames, and small craft applications. Before and after resawing, boards go through quality inspection to ensure the cut faces are clean and free of defects that may have been hidden inside the original timber.

Custom Dimensioning

Reclaimed lumber rarely comes in standard dimensions. Salvaged boards may be 7-3/4 inches wide instead of 8, or 11/16 inch thick instead of 3/4. For projects that require precise, consistent dimensions — especially those where reclaimed material must mate with new construction or match existing installations — our custom dimensioning service produces exact sizes from whatever starting material is available.

Our dimensioning equipment includes a heavy-duty table saw with a precision fence system for ripping to width, a radial arm saw with a 16-inch blade for crosscutting to length, and our wide-belt planer for thickness. We work from your cut list, drawings, or sample pieces. For complex orders, our team can advise on the most efficient way to extract your required dimensions from available stock, minimizing waste and maximizing yield.

Width tolerances are held to plus or minus 1/32 inch. Length tolerances are plus or minus 1/16 inch. Thickness tolerances are 1/64 inch, matching the precision of our planer. These tolerances are tight enough for flooring installations, furniture construction, and architectural millwork where gaps and inconsistencies are unacceptable. For projects with exceptionally tight tolerances, discuss your requirements with us and we will confirm whether our equipment can meet your specifications.